Choices (Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfic) Grimdark
by LittleTrash1027
Summary: Sonic, Silver, and Shadow awake to a place they've never seen and something is making them choose their fates. Will they make it out alive? (Slightly inspired by The Friendship Test)
1. Chapter 1

Choices

By: LittleTrash1027

 **Warning: This fanfic contains material that may be sensitive to some readers.**

 **Reader discression is advised.**

Blackness and silence surrounded Sonic's senses, as the air around him was cold. The only thing the blue hedgehog could see was the dark stone floor he laid on. As his vision progressed, he realized how dark it was. He could barely see an inch from his face. Sonic started breathing heavily, as he realized where he was, or that he didn't have any idea where he was. He sat up and backed up against a solid wall, that felt like a door. He stood up as quick as he could, and tried to open the door. Locked. Sonic looked at the black emptiness, and tried to see down what seemed like a corridor.

" _Darn. I can't see anything.."_ He thought to himself. Sonic sat back on the cold floor, and his hand touched an object. He turned his head to it, and focused his sight on it. It was a candle. He grabbed the candle and searched for anything that could light it. His hand touched another smaller object, that felt like a smaller lighter. He frantically felt for the trigger, and with a few tries, light from the small flame lit the darkness. Sonic could finally see, and as he looked around, he took in as much detail as he could. The walls were gray stone walls, and the floored was also stone. The walls looked old, and he looked back to the door and it was a steel door. He looked at himself and he could finally see his blue fur, gloves and shoes.

Wasting no more time, he lit the candle and the light was pulsating around him. He stood up and looked at his dark surroundings yet again. The corridor looked dark and pretty long. Sonic swallowed a lump that formed in his throat.

"Uhh, h-hello? Anybody there?" He called out, hoping to hear a response. Faint, but audible groans could be heard from the stone wall to his left. The voice was familiar.

"Silver? Is that you?" Sonic asked, hoping that it was him.

"Sonic? W-where are we?" Silver asked. His voice sounded groggy, as if he hadn't spoken for hours.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing the only way to leave here is to go forward." Sonic tried to sound as confident as he was, despite this situation. Sonic heard the sound of Silver's telekinesis being used, probably for a light source. Then there was nothing more. He guessed that Silver had started walking. So, Sonic did the same. Trying not to move to fast to blow out is candle, he walked, watching the bright light engulf the darkness as he followed it.

Yet, there was a third being in the chamber. A black and red hedgehog listened closely to the others conversation.

" _They don't know where they were either.._ " Shadow thought.

Still, he wasn't willing to wait in his own dark abyss. Shadow concentrated and summoned a half charged Chaos Spear, the green aura shining brightly around the dark stone walls. It pulsates, and Shadow's eyes finally adjust to the sudden brightness. After he gets a clear view on the path, he starts to walk forward. His footsteps echoed throughout the, what seemed to be, hallway. Shadow began to wonder why him and the other two were there, or rather, what was going to happen to them. Was this that big fool of a villain's doing, or was it someone else? Shadow groaned, and tried not to think about questions that obviously can't be answered right now.

"The other two morons can take care of themselves," he muttered to himself. He had himself to worry about for now.

It took about 15 minutes of walking before Shadow could see something in the dim light. He walked faster, and soon reached a dark room. The room wasn't empty, for there were three different glowing spheres in the middle of the room. They all had different colors: gold, green, and red. The Chaos Spear dissipated, for the glow of the three orbs was enough for him to see. He walked towards them, and heard the faint sound of them hovering. He looked at the red orb, and noticed that the color of it blended so well with his eyes. It was almost identical. It then hit Shadow. These orbs were colored like this for a reason. They were colored by eye color. He looked at the others, and guessed that the gold orb was Silver's and the green one was Sonic's.

But why?

" _Hello, Shadow. Welcome._ " A loud echoing voice filled the room, and Shadow's ears perked up. He looked around for where the voice came from, but it sounded like it was coming from anywhere. He didn't recognize the voice.

"Who said that? Where are you?" Shadow demanded.

" _You don't need to know who I am, or where you are. What you should be hearing is what I'm going to tell you._ " The voice spoke anonymously, almost void of all emotion. Shadow opened his mouth to say something else, but refrained. It was obvious that Shadow was put here for a reason. He looked at the orbs again.

" _As you can see, you have three orbs in front of you, all representing two people and yourself. You have to make a choice. What will you be choosing? Well, you will be choosing who will face a devastating event that could break you. Will you be selfless, or will you be_ selfish _and choose someone else?_ "

A timer appeared above Shadows head. It said five minutes and glowed red. Shadow looked in confusion.

" _But, you don't have to make a choice. You could wait until five minutes are up, and leave it up to chance. It's your decision._ " The voice chuckled menacingly before it stopped and the timer started.

Shadow thought to himself, as he looked at the golden orb. Silver was smart, and was very skilled in combat. Since he grew up in harsh conditions, he had seen a lot. But he was naive, and when it came to devastations, he could be easily distracted. He had a lot of care for the innocent and his friends. He could be broken easily.

Shadow then looked at the green orb in the middle. Sonic was also skilled in combat, and was very quick on his feet. But, he wasn't that strategic, and he was light-hearted. Sonic has also been once corrupted when faced with a severe situation. But it's been years since _that_ happened. Still, he could also be broken easily as well.

Shadow then looked at his own. He knew he was strong. He knew he was smart. He's been through a lot of tragedy and was able to move past it. He would be able to handle whatever this person would throw at him. Besides, he couldn't bring himself to damage two people who weren't as damaged as _him_.

The timer had gone to only 2 minutes. Shadow had to decide. He looked back at the red orb, and lifted a hand to it.

"This shouldn't have been that hard," Shadow said, making up his mind. His hand touched the red orb, and the others glowed in response. They faded into the blackness, with the exception of Shadows. He then saw a door open, leading to now a faintly lit room with torches on the walls. The flames on the tips of the torches sparked and crackled, small specks of ash falling from them. Shadow let go of the orb, and walked to the door. As soon as he exited the room, the door shut and locked itself. Shadow ignored it, and used his skates to quickly zoom past the corridor.

" _Hmm...interesting. I honestly didn't expect that choice. Especially from_ you _, Shadow the Hedgehog..hehehehe..._ "


	2. Chapter 2

Choices

By: LittleTrash1027

 **I couldn't stop writing this, and I wanted to add some horror to make this actually intriging.**

Silver was perturbed as he walked through the dark corridor. He had no idea what was going to happen when he got to the end of the, seemingly never ending, hallway. His blue cyan aura surrounded him and the walls gave him slight ease from the darkness, but the silence was enough to make him tense. Not to mention the unknown. Silver wished he wouldn't have to be alone for this, but there was no point for wishing that. Maybe he'll see Sonic soon enough. He just has to be patient and move onward.

He wasn't sure how long he has walked for, but it seemed like forever until he came across a dark room. It was darker than the hallway, and it looked large and empty.

"Ok..not weird or creepy at all!" Silver said anxiously. "Just a big dark empty room with no escape routes in sight.."

He took a step forward, his cyan light shimmered on the stone ground, but not on the walls. How big was this room anyway? Silver nervously started slowly walking in the room, his entry being engulfed in darkness. He looked around, trying to identify anything that would look familiar. Nothing. Nothing but the blackness and the cyan glow that radiated from him. His footsteps echoed loudly, almost masking Silver's nervous breathing.

As Silver was trying to see in front of him, he was cut off short when his head met with an unknown wall. He fell to cold floor, groping his head and groaned. He opened his eyes again, and saw a thick glass wall. He wondered why he didn't see it before. He sat up, still clutching his head.

"What the..what is..?" Silver paused and heard muffled whimpers. His ears swiveled in the direction of the noise, and looked to the other side of the glass wall. His eyes widened.

"B-BLAZE?!" Silver exclaimed, and saw the shivering purple form on the floor. Blaze's fur seemed to have lost its usual light purple color, and her body was marred by scars and bruises. Her clothes looked ripped in small places, and slight dirty. She was clutching her form and tears poured from her eyes, staining the white fur on her cheeks.

Silver has never seen Blaze like this before. She was always so calm, calculated, and brave. It seemed like no amount of tragedy could bring her down. So, seeing her like this was frightening to Silver. He quickly moved to the glass wall, his heart thundering in his chest, eyes wide with fear.

"Blaze?! Blaze, what happened to you? Are you ok? B-Blaze?!" He shouted, unable to hide the quiver in his voice. Blaze looked up up him with wide terror-filled eyes. Her golden, shimmering eyes stared at his. She crawled over to the wall, and said something incoherent through the glass wall. Silver was confused, but shaked his head to focus on her. He stood up abruptly, and used more of his power to try to pry a hole in the glass, or to do.. _something_. It didn't budge. He looked around frantically for anything that could help him find a way out of here. Nothing. He then looked back at Blaze, her hand on the glass wall. She looked hopeless, and tired, eyes still brimming with tears. He slumped down the glass wall, tears forming within his own eyes.

"It's...it's gonna be ok! I'll get us out of here, I promise," Silver said. Blaze cocked her head to the side slightly. The glass was sound proof for both of them.

" _Hello, Silver. Welcome._ " A voice echoed throughout the room. Silver and Blaze both flinched, and looked around to find out where the voice was. Silver stood up, trying to find out where the location of the voice was. He looked back at Blaze, her panic-stricken eyes looked upward, and her breathing was quickened.

" _I'm sure you are very confused, but I-_ " The voice began.

"Who are you?! What did you do to Blaze?!" Silver shouted, his fear replaced with anger.

" _Well, that was rude. Don't interrupt me.._ " There was a slight pause, until the voice echoed again. It sounded annoyed. Silver gritted his teeth, trying to compose himself.

" _As I was saying, I'm sure you are very confused, but I can tell you why you are here. You have to make a choice._ " The voice paused, and two large metal cauldrons slided towards Silver and Blaze, resting atop a tray of firewood. Inside the cauldrons were hot burning coals and large metal pokers. The metal pokers were sun-bright red, as long streaks of heat seeped from the hot coals. Silver's eyes widened, as he realized what they were. The metal pokers were actually branding irons.

" _What will you be choosing? Well, you will be choosing who will face immeasurable pain. Will you be kind and let me brand your back, or will you be unkind and let me brand Blaze?_ "

A timer appeared above Silver and Blaze's heads, reading thirty seconds.

" _You have thirty seconds to make your choice._ " The voice dissipated, and the timer began.

Silver looked at Blaze, her eyes looked into his own, tears dripping from them. Silver's stomach dropped every time their eyes met. He cared a lot for Blaze. She was one of the only people who helped him when he had to fight for the future. In fact, Silver loved her. And seeing her like this broke his heart into pieces. He couldn't see her suffer like this. As his thirty seconds were up, Silver swallowed his fear, and prepared for what he was going to say next.

" _Time's up, Silver. So, what will it be?_ " The voice spoke, and Silver looked down at the floor.

"I...I let you b-brand me.." Silver whispered, his voice quivering. Blaze's head shot up, her eyes widened into pinpricks, and she shook her head violently. She began to bang on the thick glass wall, shouting something incoherent again. Silver didn't want to look at her, but his head slowly lifted up, as if it was being pulled by an invisible string. His only response was a small smile of reassurance.

"It'll be ok. I'll be ok.." Silver muttered, his smile not leaving his face. Blaze stopped pounding on the wall, and clutched her form.

The hot branding iron was lifted from the cauldron by nothing, which only managed to confuse Silver. The shape at the end was an infinity symbol. Why was this familiar? Silver hung his head, trying not to think about it and closed his eyes. He could feel the heat near his back, and he sweated in response.

" _I'm going to press into your back hard and will hold it there for five seconds. Although, if you try to escape, I will brand you_ and _Blaze. And I will not be gentle.._ " The voice cautioned.

Silver only squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing heavy, and prepared for the pain to follow. As soon as the branding iron made contact, Silver screamed in anguish. The pain was searing, and Silver could hear his flesh burn and sizzle. His body collapsed to the floor, shaking and his screams only got more agonizing. His fists were clenched, and he gritted his teeth to prevent anymore screams from escaping. He could feel his fur and skin burning away, blood boiling and seeping from the wound. As soon as five seconds were up, the branding iron was removed and he felt the blood pour from the searing wound. Silver was still on the floor, gasping for breath between sobs.

Blaze held her ears and closed her eyes tight. Tears cascaded down both of their faces, forming small puddles on the cold stone floor. Silver shakily held himself up, trying not to fall back on the floor in pain. He managed to sit upright, and lightly touched his singed fur. He looked back at Blaze, who was still sobbing. He put a hand up on the wall and managed a weak smile.

He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when the cauldrons wooshed back into the darkness. Still looking at Blaze, he saw the darkness engulf her, panic in her eyes and she shouted at Silver until there was nothing but darkness.

"Blaze? BLAZE! Where-where did you-?! Blaze..?!" Silver screamed, tears falling down his cheeks. He looked around frantically for her, then winced in pain from his still burning wound. His ears perked up when he saw a door open, letting light in from his far right. He stood up, clutching his side, using his psychokinesis to help him walk out of the room. The door closed and locked. Silver looked back, his final thought entered before leaving the room.

" _Please..please be ok Blaze. I love you.._ " Silver looked forward and tried to walk down the corridor.

" _How..predictable. I had a feeling you would take the pain for others. Although, I do believe I have a side note for this test: Sometimes an act of kindness does not always bode well for everyone.._ "


	3. Chapter 3

Choices

By: LittleTrash1027

 **Welp, I got super depressed while writing this. Hope you brought your tissues**.

Sonic hated having to walk slow. He was always moving fast and does get impatient easily. But, with the need for a light source to illuminate his surroundings, he had to move slowly. And it annoyed him greatly. He was annoyed that he had no idea where he was. He was annoyed by the never-ending scenery. He just wanted to find the others and get out of this place.

As he walked, he kept looking at the corridors features to see if anything was familiar to him. The walls looked old and in ruins. Cracks and little crevices were in small corners of the walls, and sometimes he heard water droplets coming from the ceiling. Maybe he was under a bed of water? Like, an underwater torture chamber. The floor was no better, as it also looked old and dusty. Sonic heard his footsteps echo every time he took a step. Lastly, there was no life or colors other than grey that greeted him. Only his luminescent candle and his own colors shined throughout the hallway.

Sonic let out a small yawn. He was getting bored of nothing happening or no changes in his surroundings. It was at that point that his patience grew thin.

"Ugh, how long is this gonna go on!?" He whined. "It's been like an hour!"

He then started to walk faster, not paying much attention to the candle anymore. The light bounced as he strolled through the corridor. It didn't long for him to stop abruptly in front of a door. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally! Something new," He said, opening the door and entering the room before him.

His eyes were met with a blinding bright light. He put a hand over his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. As his vision progressed, he saw what seemed to be three big screens and a control panel with three buttons. The control panel was small and made of metal, and the screens were large and behind them were what looked like millions of cables and wires. The room was small, and on the wall left to sonic was a small shelf made of wood. He blew out his candle and set it and the lighter down. He walked towards the three screens and looked at them. His eyes widened as his heart almost stopped.

Three of his dearest friends were in glass rooms surrounded by blackness. They were Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Tails was the screen in the middle, and he was in a corner crying and sobbing. He was covering his face and his ears were splayed backward. His tails were wrapped around his shaking form as he sobbed. Knuckles, meanwhile, was the screen to Sonic's left and was punching and kicking at the glass. The glass was scratched and marked by Knuckles excessive beating and kicking, but no cracks. And lastly, to Sonic's right, was Amy. She was laying on her knees, cupping her hands and putting her face to them. She looked as if she was praying or wishing for something. Maybe for Sonic to rescue her or for nothing bad to happen.

Sonic could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and sweat trickled down his face. His eyes were nearly pinpricks, as he tried not to let out tears he was trying to suppress.

"G-Guys?" He said, breathless. His friends looked up at the sound and tried to find where it came from.

"Sonic?" Tails merely choked out.

"Is that you?" Amy added, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, I just knew you'd come to save us!"

"Don't worry Ames! I'll get you guys out of here!" Sonic said, looking around to see if there was anything else in their rooms and his own.

" _Hello, Sonic. Welcome._ " A voice echoed throughout the room. Sonic and his friends looked around, trying to find out where the voice was coming from.

" _You are probably wondering where you are, or why you're here, but I can-_ " the voice started.

"What did you do to my friends?! If you hurt them, I swear I'll hurt you so bad, you'll be in the hospital for months!" Sonic yelled, fury rising in his chest as he spoke.

" _...you're just as rude as the other one, aren't you?_ " The voice muttered to itself. It let out a sigh, and continued, muting out Sonic's threats and demands.

" _As I was saying, you are probably very confused as to what's going on, but I can shed a little light on that. You are here to make a choice. Sonic, where does your loyalty lie to?_ " The voice chuckled, and if whoever that was had a body, Sonic would guess that it was smirking.

"To my friends! ALL of my friends!" Sonic shouted.

The voice chuckled to itself. " _We'll see about that.._ "

A large vent above everyone's heads, except Sonic. They looked to be dripping water and on Amy's side, a few drops landed on her head. She moved out of the way quickly and was panicking.

" _The choice you will be making is who gets to live and who gets to die. After I'm done speaking, water will pour out of these vents in equal amounts. You will have to choose one of your friends to be given the most amount, saving the other two. Meanwhile, you three may do whatever you may to help save your skin. Although, if Sonic doesn't make a choice in time, you all will be killed regardless. You have five minutes to choose and stay alive. Begin._ "

As the voice stopped, a timer appeared above Sonic's control panel, as well as the others. Water began to pour out from the vents rapidly, filling up everyone's glass prison.

"Sonic!" Tails yelped, standing up abruptly. "W-what do we do?"

"I'll figure something out buddy, I promise!" Sonic said, as he looked behind the screens and tried to find anything to save them. He eyes darted around frantically for anything that could help them. He looked at the control panel and tried to Homing Attack it but he bounced off, and onto the floor. He looked at it again and saw that there was an invisible shield on it.

"How?" Sonic whispered. He stood up again and rushed to the control panel. He looked at the screens and saw that the water was above everyone's feet.

"Sonic..you have to choose," Amy said, feeling hopeless.

"No! I said I'll get you all out of here and I will!" Sonic shouted.

"You have to! I'm sorry, but a choice has to be made!" Knuckles said, trying to keep himself stable above the water.

"Choose me.." Amy muttered, after a minute of silence.

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted, the color draining from their faces.

"No Amy! Don't say that," Tails choked out. "That's not fair!"

"Choose me Sonic," Amy said, her voice tensing up.

Sonic paled, as felt the words pierce through his heart. "No, Ames. I am not choosing anyone. You and everyone else are important! To me! To everyone!"

"How?!" Amy yelled, tears welling in her eyes. She looked at the floor, calming her speech. "Knuckles is the guardian of the master emerald, the only one left of his kind. And Tails, you are Sonic's brother and sidekick. You have so much potential. While me, I'm just a girl who just chases a boy around, who doesn't even like her back.." Her voice started to break, as tears streamed down her face.

Everyone was silent. Sonic didn't know how to respond, as a wave of guilt washed over him. He could feel himself shaking, and tears threatening to be let loose from his eyes.

"Time's running out. So, just...just push my button!" Amy said.

The water was well enough above everyone's waist, as Sonic was about to push the button.

"I'm sorry Ames...I love you," Sonic choked out, his voice breaking.

"I love you too," Amy said, her eyes closing, as a small smile appeared. She has accepted her fate.

When Sonic pressed the button, the vent above Amy opened completely, filling her chamber up with water. Sonic fell to the floor, sobbing loudly as tears flushed from his eyes. His cries were filled with pain and sorrow, as he heard Amy's cries and final goodbyes being drowned out by the water filling the top of her chamber. His heart ached. He clutched his arms, as the tears formed a small puddle on the floor. Soon enough, Amy let out the last bit of air bubbles from her lips, as she floated limply in her watery grave. Meanwhile, everyone else was struggling to stay alive.

When five minutes were up, the water drained from everyone's chambers. Sonic shakily stood up, averting his gaze away from Amy's body. He didn't want his last memory of her to be her dead body. Tails and Knuckles' coats were soaked and dripped with water. Sonic looked at them, glad to know they were ok. But he couldn't stop thinking about her. How he failed to save her. At least she got to know that he really did love her. With all his heart.

Without warning, the screens cut to black, and Sonic couldn't hear them anymore.

"G-Guys? GUYS?!" He shouted. His eyes poured more tears. He put his face in his hands, as he whimpered.

His ears swiveled in the direction of a door opening, filled with torches shining brightly. Sonic wiped the last bit of tears in his eyes, as he stepped towards the door. As he stepped out of the room, the door closed and locked. He looked at it, and then looked at his hand. He clenched his fist, as a hurricane of emotions spiraled inside of him. He felt the anger come to a boil, as he gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes, as he looked forward and ran at the speed of sound.

" _Don't worry Ames. I won't let whoever did this get away with murdering you. I swear it._ " He thought as he zoomed through the corridor.

" _Hehehe...what a performance! But, the show's not over yet. My conclusion for this test: Loyalty to your friends is, subjective._ "


	4. Chapter 4

Choices

By: LittleTrash1027

 **Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy with life but I hope the wait was worth it for you guys.**

Shadow leaned against a wall to take a break from walking for so long. He let out a breath, as he shut his eyes. He was told that he would go through a devastating tragedy, but nothing's happened for a while. Was this just a weird joke? A very convincing prank by Sonic and everyone else? No..that doesn't make sense. Why would Sonic pull something like this? Well, whatever this was, it doesn't matter. Nothing's happening, only serving to confuse and anger Shadow more. He takes a second to think, his mind swirling with "what if's" and "whys."

"Why am I here? What are the others doing here? What did that, thing, mean by 'tragedy?" Shadow thought. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and started walking again.

He quickly saw a doorway, but with no door. Inside, it was dark black emptiness. Shadow stepped in, and the torched hallway that was there before was gone. Now, it was pitch black. Shadow didn't have much energy to summon a Chaos Spear to light the room, leaving him to squint and try to make out anything that could define the room he was in.

"Grr..damn it! What is with this person's weird obsession with dark rooms?!" Shadow exclaimed.

"Shadow? Is that you?" Silver asked. Shadow's ear perked up at the sound of the ivory one's voice and turned his head to the direction of the voice.

"Silver? Yeah, it's me. Where are you?" Shadow said, taken aback by how disheveled Silver's voice was.

"I-I don't know. I can't see.." Silver replied.

"Guys? What's going on?" Sonic said. Both hedgehogs looked in the same direction of where the blue hedgehog's voice was. It took a while for Shadow to see an outline of Sonic to his left.

A bright red light shined in the middle of the room, causing the others to squint. It filled the room with its colorful light, and it allowed the others to see each other. Shadow saw Sonic, his pale cheeks have dark streaks on them, showing that Sonic had been crying. Shadow's eyes slowly drifted to Silver, and they widened. He saw dried spots and streaks of blood, and an infinity symbol engraved into his back. Silver also had dark streak down his cheeks.

Sonic caught Shadow's gaze and his eyes widened in response. Without warning, Shadow rushed over to Silver, grabbing his arm tightly.

"What the hell happened to you?! What the hell is this?!" Shadow exclaimed in rage, with a slight tone of panic in his voice. He pointed to the brand on Silver's back, and Silver flinched at the mention of it.

"Oh w-well, it's because of- um.." Silver mumbled, unable to find the right words. He could feel the lump in his throat rise to the top, as he struggled to speak. Sonic ran over and glared at SIlver's brand. He felt more anger rise in his chest but didn't show his anger.

"Because of what, Silver? Who did this to you?!" Sonic shouted. Silver looked at both of them, unable to find an answer. He didn't have to though.

" _Hello, everyone. Welcome._ " That voice, the voice that tested the three hedgehogs, spoke, causing everyone to look around. They were met with the melancholic stone walls, floor, and the bright red glow that surrounded them. All of them were facing many emotions as to how to react to the voice taunting them yet again.

" _I am pleased to see you all have made it to this moment. I know you have made some difficult choices, but one of you has made a choice that determined_ this _test._ " Shadow felt like eyes were staring at him, and not Silver and Sonic's. He couldn't see them, but he could _feel_ them.

" _You see, Shadow has made a choice to spare you two from a terrible fate that you would face. That would break you.._ " Everyone fell silent. Shadow and Silver looked at each other in confusion, then looked at Sonic, and stared. Sonic barred his teeth, and his pupils were wide with anger. He clenched his fists, and out of nowhere, a fit of rage erupted from Sonic, as the anger that he was trying to suppress was let out.

"Spared from a terrible fate, huh? Well, how about the terrible fate that was having me get one of my friends _KILLED_! They didn't deserve any of this! None of us did! You made me choose one of my friends to die, and you don't even care! I...I never even got to tell her, that I loved.." Sonic's eyes were filled with tears, as he remembered Amy. He struggled to keep himself from crumbling to the ground, his limbs shaking from the whirl of emotions that spiraled inside of him.

Silver and Shadow paled and stared in terror at the blue hedgehog. They have never seen him this angry before, or this sorrowful before. Silver hung his head, and Shadow couldn't find the words to calm Sonic down. There was silence, and then the voice spoke again, unfazed by Sonic's outburst.

" _Well, it wouldn't be a good test of seeing how choices affect others if the stakes weren't high enough. But let's not waste any more time than we already have._ " Sonic's eyes shot open, as his heart sank at how his words meant nothing.

" _Shadow, since you chose to be selfless, you will be face to face with the thing that breaks you. How you failed to save the one person who meant everything to you…_ " The voice stopped as Shadow knew who he meant.

"...Shaaadoow…" A young girls voice echoed throughout the room, as a figure walked out of a dark void in front of the others. The girl had blond hair and a blue and white dress. The part that was the most terrifying, was that she didn't look normal. Her body had visible bullet holes, staining her clothes with a deep crimson. Her skin looked pale, and her eyes were glassy. Blood trickled down her wounds and mouth, as it plopped on the floor. Shadow's eyes widened into pinpricks, as his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, as memories flashed in his mind. The memories of how she died. How everyone close to Shadow was murdered on that fateful day.

Shadow didn't make any sounds. He only stared at her, as she slowly moved and swayed towards him. Silver and Sonic looked at Shadow with concern. Sonic then remembered him saying something about a promise made to someone named, Maria. Is this that Maria girl that he would very rarely mention? No, this isn't real. That voice was just trying to break Shadow.

"Shadz, look at me! She's not-" Sonic shouted, but was quickly cut off by black inky strings and tendrils launching at his neck, and pulling tight. He flung backward, choking and sputtering.

"SONIC!" Silver exclaimed, as his cyan aura shined as he tried to get those things off of Sonic.

"Gah! What the-?!" He didn't get very far, as more black tendrils grabbed on his arm, pulling it down. He tried to use his other arm, but it too was pulled into the floor. He tried desperately to break free, but it was no use.

Shadow was still in his haze, as he backed against the wall, breathing heavily and quickly. His mind was invaded by his memories, as well as screams ringing in his head about how he failed her. How he was sorry. His eyes filled with tears, as he just stared at Maria. Sonic and Silver tried to speak to him, but their voices were nothing but unintelligible words.

By this point, Maria had Shadow pinned against the wall. She just stared into his panic-stricken eyes, void of emotion or life.

"Why do you look so scared? It's just me. You don't have to be scared if you just take my hand, to prove that I'm here." Her voice was calm and spoke to him like a seductive lover, sounding so wrong, but so right at the same time. Shadow saw her sweet smile, and it cast a spell on him, as he went to touch her hand.

He then saw, in the corner of his eye, a white blur shouting at him, and struggling against black strands pulling him into the floor. Shadow then looked at Maria and shut his eyes tightly.

"What am I doing? This isn't Maria. She's gone. And, she would _definitely_ not drive me away from helping my friends!" Shadow thought.

Shadow glared at the figure that looked like Maria with a cold stare.

"I'm sorry, but you are _not_ her." Shadow bitterly said as he blasted a Chaos Spear at Maria. An explosion of red went everywhere, as the corpse slowly dissipated. Shadow kept reminding himself that this wasn't real and that he was ok. His thoughts were cut short when he heard strangled cries from Silver and Sonic.

Sonic was still struggling against the inky vines around his neck, as he pulled on them to make sure he wouldn't be hanged. The inky tendrils looked to be coming from the ceiling. Meanwhile, with Silver, his body was half drowned in the inky void, as he struggled to pull himself out.

Shadow quickly ran over to Silver, for he could help him get Sonic down. Shadow would save them both. He wasn't going to allow them to die as well.

"Get away from him!" Shadow shouted in anger, as he threw a Chaos Spear at the vines that restained Silver's right arm. They quickly retracted and make high pitched screeching noises, as they faded. With his right hand freed, Silver used his psychokinesis to free his other arm, with the help of Shadow.

With a shout of rage, Shadow threw another Chaos Spear at the inky vines. They went away quickly, and with both of his arms freed, Shadow pulled Silver away from the pool of darkness. They breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn't last. They heard the sound of Sonic choking and trying desperately to breathe. His feet were barely off the ground, as he ascended. They quickly rushed over to him.

"Sonic! Don't worry, we'll get you down!" Silver exclaimed, using his psychokinesis to pull on the vines. He made very little progress, but he didn't give up. Shadow pulled on Sonic's body, causing choked wails to come from the blue hedgehog's mouth. Shadow let go, realizing that he was choking Sonic more than helping. His eyes drifted upward as he saw the black ceiling. Then, an idea entered his mind.

Shadow summoned a Chaos Spear and threw it upward, seeing the green glow shine and then fade. No sound was heard that would show how high it goes. That was all Shadow needed to know.

"Silver! I have a plan. I'm going to go as high as I can to stop those vines from hanging Sonic. I want you to pull as hard as you can. Got it?" Shadow said.

Silver only nodded in response, as the cyan glow shined even brighter. He tugged on the vines more. Shadow then proceeded to use his rocket shoes to launch himself into the air. Combining his agility and speed, he jumped the walls and went higher and higher.

When he was sure that he was high enough, he channeled his energy and used his Chaos Blast to incinerate the vines. They screeched even louder than ever, and the thread that held Sonic fell. Sonic gasped for air and coughed loudly. He painfully took big breaths, sucking in as much oxygen as he could. Silver landed on his knees and clutched his head and groaned. With a loud thud, Shadow hastily landed to the floor and landed on his knees. As he moved towards the others, he looked at everyone with relief. They were okay.

"Everyone alright?" Shadow asked.

"Y-Yeah. We're ok." Sonic said, a small smile appearing on his face.

Their celebration wouldn't last. Slow claps echoed throughout the room, as the voice quietly spoke.

" _Congratulations. You have passed this test. You must feel so proud! And this time, you get a prize for this one!_ " The voice stopped, and footsteps were heard coming from the same darkness that the copy of Maria had come from. Everyone gasped, as they saw who their captor was.

"I'm surprised you didn't guess sooner, but I guess you can't predict everyone's choices, can you?" The voice was now familiar. It was none other than Infinite the Jackel.


	5. Chapter 5

Choices

By: LittleTrash1027

 **Here's the conclusion to this story! Sorry, it gets kind of crazy in the end, I didn't really know what to do with it so I hope it's okay. Please leave a review and tell me what you** **think!**

Everyone stared in silence, as the pieces were put together in their heads. Some suspicions answered and yet even more questions arising. The shocking part about this was how Infinite looked. He still had his iconic black and white fur, but it looked unwashed and the hair in the back of his was messy and knotted. This time, however, he didn't have his mask on. His eyes looked tired and one pupil was a reddish-gold. Perhaps an effect of the phantom ruby on him. Speaking of which, the most noticeable difference on him was his chest. He had a large bloody bandage on it, which looked old and clung loosely to him. Overall, his appearance was a clear depiction of being unwell, physically and mentally.

"Infinite?" Shadow was the first to speak. His reaction caused Infinite to let out a sigh.

"Ah, so you _do_ remember me! I suspected you'd forgotten who I was, just like last time.." Infinite replied.

"You're not that hard to forget at this point," Shadow said. He then blinked a few times and stood up abruptly. The others followed in response.

"How? How were able to do all of this?" Silver asked, his voice quivering. Infinite chuckled and put a hand on his chin.

"Oh, I've learned a whole lot of new illusions and tricks since the last time we've met. Hehe.." He trailed off into his laughter. They stared at him coldly, and Sonic finally spoke.

"Why? Why did you do this?" He said, his voice hoarse and weak from being choked. Infinite stopped chuckling and glared at Sonic with hatred. His pupils went wide with anger and clenched a fist tightly.

"Why? _Why?!_ You of all people should know why! You all ruined my life! At first, it was Shadow who sparked it all, saying that I was.. _weak._ Soon after, I got my chance to prove you wrong, and I did so. I had the world in the palm of my hand! Until you and your friends came and _fucked_ everything up! When I was defeated, I was badly damaged and the phantom ruby was destroyed. I barely managed to make it back to that fat bastard's lair, and you know what I got from him? 'It's over for you. You had your chance, and you wasted it. Now leave and never show your face here again.' I was furious, and before I was able to kill that wack of a scientist, I was knocked out, and left to die in the streets. So, I hid, and planned, and waited for the perfect opportunity to make you all pay for everything you've done to me. To show you that your choices have consequences on _everything_." Infinite's words were filled with anger and hate towards them. Although, Shadow felt the words hit him the most. He felt like every word was going towards him, and he didn't even know why he felt like this.

Infinite cleared his throat and calmed his speech. "I spent years learning everything I could about you three, and how I could make my pain and message clear. And I believe I have!"

Silver and Shadow glared in hate, then looked at Sonic, and were taken aback. He looked furious and was staring at the floor. He was shaking and sweat was visibly rolling down his cheeks.

"You...You hurt Silver. You made me kill Amy. You tortured Shadow. And you almost killed _me_. You will pay for this, you MONSTER!" Sonic screamed and dashed towards Infinite with blazing speed. He held up a fist to be launched at Infinite's face. Before his fist could make contact though, Infinite slashed as his chest, leaving four red scars. Sonic gasped in pain and crumbled to the ground. The blood leaked from the wounds and stained Sonic's blue and peach fur.

"SONIC!" Silver and Shadow screamed. Silver used his psychokinesis to quickly pull Sonic away before Infinite could do any more damage. He clutched his chest and gasped in pain, tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Wow. I mean, I knew you were quick on your feet, but have heard the saying 'think before you act?" Infinite said, slightly amused at the blue hedgehog's cries. Shadow glared at Infinite, gritting his teeth and leaving Silver to help Sonic. Infinite held up a hand to stop him in his tracks.

"Ah ah ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you. Unless, you don't care that there'd be a one in three chance that one of you'd be killed, but I'm not sure the Ultimate Lifeform would be willing to play the odds. Not when we're so close to the final test!" Infinite said.

Shadow looked back at the others. Silver looked puzzled and Sonic was breathing heavily on the floor. He then looked back at Infinite.

"What is the final test?" Shadow asked. Infinite smiled widely and the red light that illuminated the room floated towards him.

"The final test is going to a test of trust. I'm going to make the room extremely dark, and it's up to you to choose who you think you can trust. You will be guiding each other throughout this room to your freedom. Simple, right? Well, there will most definitely be obstacles that you must avoid. Good luck." When Infinite finished, the red glow faded, and the hedgehogs were met with a black void, like when they entered the room.

There was a momentary silence until they were faint sounds of Silver's psychokinesis activating but it buffered. Shadow turned his head in the direction of them, and the faint cyan glow showed him where Silver and Sonic were. He went towards them and grabbed Sonic's arm to help him up. Pain filled whimpers and grunts came out of Sonic, as he struggled to stand.

"Come on Sonic, you have to get up. You heard him. We have to keep moving just a little further, and we'll get out of this hellish torture chamber," Shadow said, "Silver, can't you use your powers to heal him or something?" Silver looked at Shadow, and let out a sigh.

"I barely have enough energy to offer light," Silver replied. He had a headache that kept getting worse everytime he used his powers. Silver clutched his head, sending the message to Shadow clearly.

"Well, do you have enough energy to carry him?" Shadow asked while summoning a Chaos Spear to offer a brighter light source. Silver nodded meekly and helped Sonic up. Sonic still clung to his chest, yet managed to straighten himself up.

Shadow walked forward, the other two following behind. They followed through the darkness and turned left to be faced with a long corridor. They continued, preparing themselves for anything.

Nothing was appearing to happen, giving them time to think about what they had heard. Shadow thought hard about what _he_ had said. Just one word, one failure, caused that jackal to go into insanity. It just proves how fractured a villain's mind could get. Shadow knew this entire charade was crazy, yet he can't help but feel responsible for all of this. No, this wasn't his fault..was it? Shadow pushed that thought away, as they came close to a new doorway.

Shadow walked through it, trying to see if anything was inside this room. He stopped when he heard Sonic fall to the floor in pain.

"Your injuries better not hold us back, because we have ways to go, blue," Shadow growled. Silver helped Sonic up again, who looked at Shadow with a stern look on his face.

"Well, I'm sorry. It's not like I have big scars on my chest, jerk." Sonic replied sarcastically.

"You've been through pain before and dealt with it. Why not now?" Shadow said.

"Guys, would you just-" Silver started, but was cut off by a low growl. They turned their heads to see a black void but listened closely to hear the sound of nothing. Shadow didn't want to wait for another sound. He used the Chaos Spear in his hand to throw it at the direction of the growl.

A loud explosion was heard and the silhouette of a large creature screeching was visible. Its cries rang in everyone's ears, and then sounds of swift footsteps were coming at a fast pace. Shadow grabbed onto Silver's arm, and yelled, "RUN!" They didn't need to be told twice and followed him past the dark corridor.

Sonic felt pangs of pain in his torso but ignored it as best as he could. He held onto Silver and ran with everything he had. He felt something sharp lodge itself into his ankle, causing him to trip and drag Silver down. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to get up.

Silver couldn't take it anymore. He used his psychokinesis to help Sonic up and to see weird black splotches on the floor. Ignoring his headache, Silver caught up with Shadow, showing him the spikes in the floor. Using what energy they had, they helped each other dodge the spikes, ducking and jumping from the black blades. In the corner of his eye, Sonic saw a doorway to his right. He grabbed on Silver's shoulder and made him look at Sonic.

"Silver, you have to trust me on this. Use your powers to fling us over there." Sonic pointed at the doorway. Silver felt a little unsure but trusted Sonic. He levitated everyone and angled it just right. He could feel a black splotch begin to form, but before it had the chance to stab him, Silver flung everyone through the doorway. They collapsed to the floor, unmoving and breathing heavily.

They all felt exhausted, yet their minds raced with the sudden rush of adrenaline. They panted for a few minutes, wanting nothing more than to relax and for this to be just a bad dream. Shadow sat up and saw a door with light coming from it. He was about to say something until he saw an outline of Infinite in front of him.

"I've waited a long time for this!" He yelled and brought his claws down swiftly on Shadow. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come.

Yet no pain followed. A loud slashing sound was heard, and Shadow felt warm droplets of blood on his face. He opened his eyes slowly and he saw the sickening truth. Sonic stood in front of him, his coat covered in blood. He had more scars on his chest, way deeper than the one he already had. He sputtered and breath heavily, still trying to stand as if protecting his friend. Silver cried in terror and Shadow lost all color in his cheeks. Sonic then fell on his knees and collapsed on the floor. His eyes were wide, just like the others.

"Hmm..it's not you, Shadow, but that still felt _great!_ " Infinite exclaimed, a crazed grin spreading across his muzzle. He was covered in blood, and bits and pieces of flesh were on his claws.

"Sonic…" Shadow whispered, unable to look away from his friend. Silver broke down, sobbing openly and gasped through hiccuping sobs. Shadow felt a hand tug on his arm and looked at Sonic's emerald eyes.

"I-I told you..you could trust me." He barely managed a smile and shut his eyes for one last time.

"Sonic? Sonic! Say something, come on!" Shadow pleaded.

Silver looked at the two in sorrow and then crawled over to them.

"Congratulations, you two! You have passed this test. Thanks to you three I have proven that choices have consequences that are devastating to come. As promised, you are free to leave and return to your homes and to seek whatever punishment you see fit, if you can find me." Infinite muttered.

He faded into the darkness and left the two in their silence. They mourned their friend for a few more minutes, thinking about what they're going to tell the others. What they're going to tell Tails...Unwillingly, Shadow left Sonic's body and helped Silver up, wiping a few tears from his eyes. Together they walked out of the chamber, and the door closed and locked behind them one last time.


	6. Epilogue

Choices

By: LittleTrash1027

 **HAHA, you thought I was done? SIKE you were wrong. I wanted to do one last thing before I ended this story so here it is. Hope you all have enjoyed it.**

It was a beautiful night outside. The moon was at its fullest and the stars shined brilliantly. The sound of silence and the night was quite enjoyable, even calming in a way. Infinite stared out into the woods and took in as much as he could of the relaxing scenery. He had finally gotten his revenge. He was finally able to show them that he wasn't weak. But, even someone like him needed a break from all the excitement. He looked down at his glove, which was still faintly stained with blood. He didn't have a washer in his little bunker so it was hard to scrub off all of that blood but it was good enough. He turned towards the steel door and looked towards the sky one last time before entering his "home."

Infinite walked down the dark hallway as he thought about how his test went. He grew to not mind the black stillness that surrounded him. His eyes were able to see through it after a while of secluding himself away from the world. Then a smile spread across his face as he remembered all those emotions. All of those tears and blood...it wasn't long before he came across a wooden door that led to his room. He opened it and saw his mattress and dirty bed sheets, his desk with papers scattered on the walls and the floor, and the multiple candles on the desk that were lit. He sighed and walked towards the desk and sat down. He pulled out an old booklet and a pen, opened a page and started jotting down notes of his thoughts on what had transpired recently.

Dec 19, 20XX

It is done. The tests went perfectly. I got what I wanted and in the end, it was satisfying. Really. Although, I wonder what will become of the ones who have survived. What will change? Will they scour the planet to try and find me? Probably. I mean, their friends are apparently so important to them that they have to constantly remind you over and over and OVER...Where was I? Anyways, long story short, I made my point clear.

In case you didn't know, this test was made to prove that the choices you make and the things you do will affect others in ways you might not be happy about. To prove that the choices you make don't always make you the "hero" in the end. To show them my pain. I lost everything to them. Those bastard hedgehogs and their friends. I'm very curious as to what will happen next..

-Zero

He blows out the candle and the darkness engulfs him.


End file.
